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Match Of The Year So Far - Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett, No Disqualifications. Genesis 2009​

Let's start off with probably the most simple part of what made this so awesome, the gimmick. Adding something as simple as a No Disqualification gimmick to this match is what made it superior to their first match at Bound For Glory. It allowed for excellent brawling, clever use of Jeff's guitar and a sick bump in which Kurt Angle delivered an Angle slam to Jarrett off the stage and through a table. Without the NoDq stipulation, we wouldn't have got Jeff's epic look when he was crawling back to the ring. When his face popped up above the ring apron as he pulled himself up with the little energy that he had left it really signified a turning point in the match. The NoDq stipulation also allowed for the hate between Jarrett and Angle to be displayed which brings me on to my next point....

The feud. This has probably been one of the best feuds in wrestling for quite some time. On one side, you had loving father of three daughters who was the owner of the company while on the other side you had Angle, leader of the M.E.M trying to bring down the company because he wasn't being shown enough respect. Angle had goated Jarrett into one more match at BFG in which Mick Foley was the special enforcer, he ended up helping Jarrett get a win that left everyone feeling happy. Angle, unhappy that he didn't get a victory did everything he could to get under the skin of Jarrett, he even went as far as bringing up Jarrett's dead wife and kids. A lot of people thought that this went to far but I loved it, it truly gave the feud a real "personal" feel to it. Angle wanted to make Jarrett mad and get him unfocused for when he finally got his rematch, this made the finish of the actual match that much better.

The ending had Angle rolling up Jarrett from a tried pin-cover. It showed that all Angle cared about was the victory and tied in perfectly with the story. The rest of the match went perfectly aswell. There was an intence hatred shown in the opening few minutes followed up by Angle weathering the storm. Some ringside brawling followed to show further hatred before they made their way up to the stage. What followed was the previously mentioned Angle slam which left both men down and out. The faces of both Angle and Jarrett, more so Jarrett then Angle, as they crawled back into the ring was something that really got me involved in the match. The match was just good up until that bit and Jarrett's face of determination really kicked it up 10 whole gears. The action that followed was just great counter wrestling out of sheer will from both men in what was a great way to finish off an already spectacular match. But why this match over other contenders?

Other Contenders​

Let's start off with Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker, a heavily praised match. The action was good yes, but nowhere near match of the year good. It was a match completely carried by the first half instead of it being top quality all the way through. The feud was also lackluster at best and it didn't have the build-up that big match on the biggest show of the year should have. Angle vs Jarrett was built up for a good four-five months while Taker/Shawn got a good month or so build up. This didn't allow the true potential that this feud had to shine through.

Another top contender is Alex Shelley vs Chris Sabin from the very same show for the vacant X-Division title. While this match topped Angle vs Jarrett action wise, there was hardly any backstory to it which is what lets it down. It was just two guys, albeit best friends, going out there competing for a title. If TNA built tension between Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin in the weeks leading up to the match and given it a bit of meaning besides just being for a title then maybe, just maybe this could have taken home Match of the year so far but it wasn't to be.

So there you have it, Match Of The Year So far: Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett - Genesis 2009. Right now, it doesn't look like it will be topped either as there are no real strong singles feuds being built up and that's exactly what this match had to get it over the line.

HOPE

Now that we're halfway through the year, make a case for match of the year.​

2009 has surprisingly brought forth some pretty damn good matches, especially from the WWE. Despite the wrestling business being in a decline we have been able to see many great matches this year. So what was the best? Clearly the SmackDown! Elimination Chamber from No Way Out 2009. Now I know me saying clearly after building this year up as big is a bit odd, however this just plain and simple blows everything else out of the water when it comes to match quality and excitement. Nothing can come remotely close.

To start the excellence off, we get the best decision possible for the two men to kick the action off in Jeff Hardy and Edge. Edge is of course at the time the WWE Champion, having won it off Jeff just a month previously thanks to Jeff being screwed by his brother Matt, ruining his dream. Now with Jeff never having got a one-on-one rematch, starting off with these two makes perfect sense since Jeff can get his chance for revenge on Edge. Having some quick nearfalls and finisher attempts was a great way to get us kick-started, getting the crowd excited early. Add in the fact that Jeff proved he can go with Edge by pinning him with a surprise small package and we have a really fun start. The match is filled with even more excitement from then on thanks to the fact that the WWE Champion was eliminated first, meaning that there will of course be a new champion heading into WrestleMania.

Having just overcome the odds, Jeff finds himself in peril for the next portion of the match, with the next entrants sensibly being the monster heels of Vladimir Kozlov and Big Show. Every match needs a bit of downtime to calm the crowd and this provided it, allowing the crowd to get excited for the entrances of Triple H and The Undertaker into the match. After the two made their way into the match Kozzy and Show are soon eliminated, leaving the three most over faces not only on SmackDown!, but perhaps in the entire WWE as the final three competitors. Could it have been more exciting to see what would happen at the time? I doubt it. After some exciting moves from the high-flying Jeff, ‘Taker is able to pull an elimination out of nowhere, pulling him from the steel on the outside over the top rope by the hair and into the Tombstone in a very original spot, which brought about the ending of Jeff.

The ending between Triple H and ‘Taker was simply awesome. Two warriors who are fighting for the chance to main event WrestleMania go back and forth, throwing everything they have. The two fan favourites have some great nearfalls and counters, including a foot on the rope from the Tombstone (not a kick out, which is much better. You cannot lift your shoulder after being dropped on your head. Being able to slightly move your leg is a hell of a lot more logical), and a kick out from the Pedigree after Tripper took his time to make the cover thanks to exhaustion. The match is finally topped off by Triple H countering out of the Last Ride spot that undid him at WrestleMania X-Seven, which shows great thinking and psychology, into the Pedigree for the victory.

The match had it all. There was excitement at first and a strong psychology to open up with, before a downtime to allow us to build to a frenetic finisher. Unlike Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker from WrestleMania 25 it didn’t feature a botch that almost killed one of the competitors, nor did it feature an unlikely kick out. And unlike Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett from TNA’s Turning Point, it wasn’t just the same match you’ve seen before from one of the competitors (Kurt Angle) replayed for all to see. The SmackDown! Elimination Chamber has far surpassed everything that has been thrown at it this year, and as such is a deserving match of the year thus far. I’d be willing to bet nothing will beat it by the end of the year either.

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The best match of the year so far hands down is Randy Orton against Triple H at WrestleMania

The match build up truly started with the punt to the head right before the Royal Rumble and continued as Randy won the rumble, battled with Shane McMahon ending with a punt to the head, right after the punt Randy RKOed Stephanie making the move the final straw for Triple H.

Both sides dealt with personal matters as Randy hurt Triple H’s family and even kissed his wife. Triple H took revenge breaking into Randy’s own home and attacking the man. All and all one of the top personal feuds of all time.

The match was intense and was one of the most emotional built up matches as Triple H wanted revenge on the man that hurt his family. The match even saw Triple H deliver his own punt, maybe for pay back to the man who tortured his family.

The feud still lives on after the build up from this match as Randy sought revenge and won the title and hurt Triple H in the process. Now Triple H is back and wanting his revenge. Continuing from the best match of the year from WrestleMania 25.